There is just one week left of elephant-spotting! Since May, over 250 brightly painted life-size elephants have appeared all over London, to raise awareness of the plight of the endangered Asian elephant, which has dwindled in numbers by 90% in the last hundred years, and could be extinct in the next 30. Here is my favourite…
Yesterday I visited the Elephant Parade Gallery Shop, where you can paint your own elephant and buy anything from miniature elephants to posters showing every single one. I love, love, love the pink this chap has chosen to paint his elephant…
The parade has been organised by The Elephant Family and Joanna Lumley is a patron. She says “All those who grew up with Colonel Hathi in the Jungle Book film, or those even older (like me) who remember him from the book of Mowgli by Kipling, must be shaken to know that without our help the magnificent Asian elephant may die out altogether.”
Tanaz Dizadji, who has also been lending support recruiting artists and fashion designers, says, “I’ve finally found the perfect charity. Elephant Family is super fun, original and ambitious and their passion shines through. I just can’t imagine a world without elephants.”
Personally, I’m a big believer that good design makes the world a better place, and this is a great example of that – fun, engaging and quirky; and all for a good cause. If you want to get involved, check out the Elephant Parade website to download a route map, sign the petition or find out more; or follow them on twitter @elephantfamily. All the elephants are going to be auctioned off, so if you want one for yourself, visit the auction website to find out more.
Love the elephants and what a good cause.